Mortician&#39;s hoist



Oct. T9, 1954 J. H. wooDs 2,692,056

MORTICIANS HoI'sT Filed March 29, 1952 A WM-Mw- ]6 14 21 J6 J5 2a O J5 I7/ l 2] O O Jg /7 z/Z j' 7K f v6 :inventor JAMES H. WOODS Gttomeg Patented Oct. 19, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MORTICIANS HOIST James H. Woods, San Fernando, Calif.

Application March 29, 1952, Serial N o. 279,380

2 Claims. l

This invention relates to a hoist more particularly adapted for use by morticians for facilitating the handling of corpses during their preparation for burial, the handling of caskets, and the handling of both corpse and casket. Particularly during the embalming procedure, the handling of a corpse entails the services of at least two persons as is also the case when a corpse is placed in a casket.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved hoist whereby only one person may conveniently and with great facility handle either a corpse or a casket, or both, during the various procedures attending preparation of a corpse for burial.

The invention also has for its objects to provide such means that are positive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description. However, the drawing merely shows and the following description merely describes one embodiment of the present invention, which is given by way of illustration or example only.

In the drawings, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

Fig. 1 is an end elevational view of a morticians hoist according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view as taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2, and seen in the direction of the arrows.

The hoist that is illustrated comprises, generally, a housing 5, hoist mechanism 6 enclosed in said housing, plural pairs of tapes 'I adjustably carried by said mechanism and extending downward from said housing, sling means 8 connecting the free ends of said pairs of tapes, and means 9 mounting the housing, mechanism and tapes from an overhead support I0.

The housing is shown as an upper support frame or plate II of rectangular form, and a sheet metal rectangular cover or closure I2 removably affixed to frame or plate II and therebelow. Suitable openings I3 are provided in cover I2, the pairs of tapes 'I extending downward therethrough.

'I'he hoist mechanism 6 comprises a pair of longitudinally arranged parallel shafts or tubes I4 transversely spaced to reside along opposite sides of housing 5, sets of spools I5 provided on shafts I 4 and having relatively deep iianges suitable hanger bearings I6 mounting said shafts from frame or plate II, and a self-locking relatively slow drive I'I for said shafts.

In the present case, drive Il is shown as an electric motor I8, a reduction gear unit I9 driven by said motor by a shaft 20, and bevel gear drive connections 2I from said unit to shafts I4. Reduction gear unit is of the well-known self -locking type so that there is no tendency for the shafts I4 to rotate except when being driven by motor I8. The latter is of the reversing type sov that shafts I4 may be driven in either direction as desired. A cable 22 extends from motor I8 to an outlet socket 23 at one end of frame or plate II. Said socket is adapted to receive a plug of a fixedly installed reversing switch (not shown) to provide electric current for said motor from a current source.

As shown, three pairs of spools I5 are preferably provided for taking up or slacking of tapes 1 as shafts I4 are rotated in one direction or the other.

Tapes l, at their free ends, are provided with suitable latches or hooks 24 for separable connection to the ends of the sling bands 25 that comprise sling means 8. It will be clear from Fig. 1 that a casket 25 or a corpse may be suspended in the slings substantially in the manner shown.

The hoist may be xedly secured to overhead support I0, as above an embalming table, and the slings used to raise and lower a corpse during an embalming procedure and to place the pre pared corpse into a casket. In such case, the cable 22 may extend directly to a reversing switch and sock 23 omitted.

As shown, the means 9 provides for mobility of the hoist between different areas in a mortuary. Said means 9 preferably comprises a rail 2l aflixed to support I0 and extending, as desired, to and between said dierent areas, and suitable traction hangers 28 engaged with said rail and afxed to frame or plate II of housing 5. No power means has been shown for effecting traverse of the hoist along track 21 (although such means may be provided) because it is a simple matter merely to push the hoist along the track to the position desired. A connection to socket 23 may be provided at each point where the hoist is to be operated.

It will be clear that tapes 'I are wound up on or unwound from spools I5 to raise or lower, as desired, any object suspended in the sling means 8 and that the latter, when not in use, may be either removed or pulled up close to housing 5 to provide clear space therebelow.

While the invention that has been illustrated and described is now regarded as the preferred embodiment, the construction is, of course, subject to modification without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is, therefore, not desired to restrict the invention to the particular form of construction illustrated and described, but to,cover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

In the hereunto appended claims, it is to be understood that shaft means shall be takento mean a single overhead shaft as well as a pai-r of such shafts.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by L etters Patent is:

l. A morticians hoist comprising a top plate, shaft means rotatably mounted on the underside of the top plate, reversible motor means also mountedv on the underside of said topplate, selflocking reduction gearing connecting the motor means with the shaft means. to drive the latter in opposite directions depending on the d-irection of rotation ofl the motor means, a housing yafiixed to the top plate and enclosing the. shaft and motor means and the reduction gearing, a plurality of slings for extending under a body or casket at spaced points along its length, said housing, lonits, lowermost wall, having openings therein, support means suspending the slings from the shaft means and extending. through the housing openings, the support means being flexible to be Wound upon the shaft means and unwound therefrom by operation ofthe motor means in one direction orthe other, to raise or lower the slings for verticaladjustment of a body or casket'on the slings, and the mentioned-wall of the housing being interposed between the means 4 carried by the top plate and a body or casket supported by the slings.

2. A morticians hoist comprising a rectangular top mounting plate that is longer than it is wide, means arranged along the length of said plate and adapted to be engaged with a track, said means being disposed on the top of the middle of said plate to suspend said plate for movement along the track, a pair of shafts rotatably mounted on and disposed beneath the underside of said top plate and arrangedin parallelism in spaced relation adjacent the longer side edges of said plate, a reversing motor and a'self-locking speed reduction unit connected thereto mounted on and disposed beneath the underside of said top plate between said shafts, similar drive connections between said unit and shafts, a depending housing cover affixed to the edges of the top plate and enclosing said shafts, motor and'reduction unit, said cover` having a wall spaced below the top plateand provided with a set of slots adjacent each of the longer edges of said wall, a set of flexible suspension members wound around longitudinally spaced portions of said shaft and having ends extending downwardly through the openings inthe mentioned cover wall, saidflexible-suspension members being arranged in pairs, and ak sling connecting the lower ends of each said pair ofc members to encompass and support meanssuch asa body or casket, the mentioned cover wall constituting a member to limit the elevated position of the means supported by the slings and', to prevent engagement ofthe latter means andthe instrumentalities mounted on the top-plate.

References Cited inthe file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number. Name Date 305,736 Burns Sept. 30, 1.884 1,330,212 Moore Feb. 10, 1920 1,644,770 Borkes Oct. 1:1, 1927 2,190,093` Bossart Feb; 13; 1940 

